The present invention pertains generally to equipment for repositioning heavy articles, such as large rolls of sheet metal, through ninety degrees or so.
Rolls of sheet metal, as used in various manufacturing efforts, may weigh several thousands of pounds. Such rolls must be tipped for lift truck transport, storage and lastly for installation in the equipment forming the sheet metal paid out from the roll.
Toward this end, the prior art includes the machine disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,016,158 which positions a roll of sheet metal in place on a powered platform which rotates about an inclined axis. A cradle is shown offset from the platform. U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,753,505, 3,795,323 and 3,763,990 show a right angular platform and cradle which has arcuate bottom edge which rolls along a track on a machine base to position a roll of sheet metal or other heavy article through ninety degrees. U.S. Pat. No. 4,718,813 shows a cart for carrying and positioning an article on a spindle through ninety degrees. U.S. Pat. No. 4,013,177 discloses a machine for inverting a sheet metal coil through 180 degrees during coil manufacture. U.S. Pat. No. 3,736,997 shows a coil handling apparatus wherein steel coils are tipped through ninety degrees and then transferred momentarily to adjacent weigh beams at 39 supported by load cells at 180 in a walking beam type conveyor shown generally at 40. The prior art fails to disclose a self contained machine for tipping of large articles which may be readily located at a worksite.